Mother told to ‘hide sharp objects’ in house
A CONCERNED mother whose 11-year-old son attempted to take his own life while under Kerry CAMHS service has said she was told to ‘hide sharp objects in the house’ following her son’s second suicide attempt – after waiting two months for an urgent appointment.
The mother said her son’s first suicide attempt was in August 2020. She contacted CAMHS to get help for her son but received no response. In October 2021, he made a second suicide attempt but the boy wasn’t seen by the service until December 16. Her son was first referred to CAMHS in July 2019, where they met with Dr David Kromer, who advised medication.
The mother was hesitant, but Dr Kromer assured her it was the best option. ‘He handed me a list of 16 difficulties in life that he would go through if we didn’t intervene... drug experimentation, not being able to hold down a job... I thought; “Oh, God, maybe he does need them”.’
Her son was prescribed ADHD medication Medikinet and Concerta, along with Melatonin as he was struggling to sleep. He began suffering sideeffects from Concerta, including headaches and shaking. Dr Kromer then took the boy off it and increased his Medikinet dosage. But the drugs still were not having a positive impact. The boy’s mother recalls: ‘He started spinning on the floor, a sign of Autism Spectrum Disorder, so I wanted a proper ASD assessment. Then we were described the anti-psychotic Risperidone in March 2020.’
‘The side-effects were ‘so scary so I took him off it after a month,’ she said.